Jess. Severe Portion Control Issues. In a relationship with Melbourne.

Pure South. Purely Sensational.

When Papa Smurf came to visit in Melbs, this just gives me another opportunity to show off my beautiful city. Ok the rain and ‘snow’ wind didn’t exactly aid the situation but when there’s good food and vino, you can overlook the weather!

Pure South was the destination and what a taste sensation it was!

Showcasing a lot of Tassie produce, this restaurant on Southbank exudes cool but not in the regular Melbs hipster way. Very schwanky indeed.

Our party of 3 were seated without hesitation and without booking, although this was mid-week so if you’re headed there on the weekend, I would definitely call ahead. Our waiter for the evening was a young man, who reminded me of a topless waiter I had at a hens night recently so hearing the specials was extra entertaining. (NB. He had a shirt on in this instance)

Being the foodaholic I am, I had already perused the menu during the day and had my choices locked and loaded. I was disappointed to see they weren’t offering any scallops however apparently there’s been a scallop disease going around, hence why no scallops. Poor scallops.

We started with a glass of bubbly, were given house made sour dough and gluten free bread (I knew if I tried the house made sourdough I would eat it all and therefore spoil my dinner…hence the GF request). Great company. Great bread and great bubbles. What more could you want! Well yes food would be good so we will move onto that now!

For entree I went with the Smoked Eel, red wine shallots, poached baby-apple (cutest.fruit.ever…second to only maybe a baby-strawberry), radish and pancetta. I have only ever had eel as sashimi prior and loved it and this was even better. To me it had an octopus consistency and the pancetta added the salty flavour that complimented it so well. big fan.

Papa went with the Cauliflower Souffle with raclette cheese and carrot cardamom. I would always overlook such a dish on a menu, not sure why, I just would ok! But this gives the humble cauliflower a makeover and it was de-lish. Super creamy, perfectly seasoned.

Our dining partner in crime went with the confit dutch cream potato (aka a glorified chip), horseradish crust, leek veloute, celery & quail egg. Didn’t try this (we’re friends but didn’t want to eat off EVERYONE’s plate) but it looked superb and the empty plate was a testament to the flavour.

My main choice had been locked in well in advance so it had a lot to live up to, and it did twice over. I chose the Herb Crusted Hapuka (a massive fish with a ridiculously large eye), accompanied with cuttlefish, braised lentils and salsa verde. Oh em gee. I’m gonna put this out there – one of the best meals I have ever had. And I have eaten A LOT of meals. The fish was cooked perfectly, the cuttlefish was so fresh and all together it was a partae in my mouth. Amazeballs. I wanted to go & give the chef a hug.

Papa Smurf went with the Wabbit….sorry can’t remember what it came with….I had never tried rabbit before and I must say wasn’t a huge fan of the meat. Then again I was in the middle of one of the best meals of my life (!!) so nothing could really compare.

Our dining partner had the Eel for main and she loved it just as I did. Bravo Pure South.

With such attentive service, the restaurant felt classy without being pretentious and the waiter thanked us for providing entertaining ramblings for him as he was having a rather ‘dull’ night up until that point. Hooray for us. Pat on the back.

It was then the time of the night where the dessert menu comes out and my 2nd stomach steps into the spotlight to take one for the team. I must admit none of the desserts really made me salivate, which is NOT something that usually happens to me. Although I am always a sucker for a good Crème Brulee.

I’ve been trying to be healthy (ish) lately so I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince Papa to get the Crème Brulee so I would be able to just have a taste and I ordered an Affogato (another personal fave). Now whether it was because we were such entertaining guests, or maybe he just wanted me to stop rambling on about great crème brulee’s, the waiter took it upon himself to bring us a complimentary Brulee and it was brilliant! (and yes I had more than just a little taste…)

It wasn’t the prettiest Crème Brulee, but gosh it was tasty. The Brulee was brulee’d to perfection and I am very pleased to say I won the race to crack the top of it, although I almost smashed the side of the ramekin dish with my spoon in the process. The Brulee was also surrounded by a couple of Macaron friends and a milk sorbet which was very refreshing for the palette.

The Affogato was by far, the most attractive Affogato I have ever had. The biscotti was a lovely (not needed but appreciated) addition as well.

I had read various reviews for Pure South on Urbanspoon and was a little nervous about taking my guests there, however I was happy as a clam at the end of the meal. In other news, I have no idea where that expression comes from and have no idea why clams are high on the happy scale.

Related

One thought on “Pure South. Purely Sensational.”

I’m never reading your blogs again. It’s just torment. Living in Alice Springs, i can’t swan down to the hip eating places you recommend , nor grab a really decent coffee. Heck, i can’t even use an umbrella for crying out loud!